Infinity by Franco Machado-Pesce
They say that nothing compares to California Sunsets. This is a fact.
The blare of an alarm clocks shakes me off my bed. 6:00 A.M. Six in the fucking morning. I get dressed, grab my sunglasses, and leave the apartment with the door slamming behind me. As soon I step outside, I feel the heat slap my face. Welcome to California, where it can be mid-November, and I can still sweat an entire ocean (and they say global warming isn’t a thing).
I hop into my 2003 Nissan NV200 and turn the key to start the engine. Yep. Just what I thought, it’s gonna be a while until it actually gets running. My car plays this cruel game with me every morning where I turn the key, it revs the engine to give me a hint of hope, just to have the sound slightly die out. Then a second time that shows a bit more promise only to dissipate into a mist of disappointment. This goes on for six more times, until for some stupid reason, on the eighth attempt, the motor finally gives in and actually starts driving. It’s a battle, but I have to love that car. It has its annoying charm for a mom car (until of course, I get a new one). This is good though, because I made a promise to myself. When I have kids, they’re going to suffer through the same experience of a faulty first car too, just so they can appreciate their first decent car.
Class is fine. Well, it’s as good as a math course can get and to be honest I’m mostly on my website writing on my blog or going through people’s instagrams. It’s curious that my professor hasn’t noticed that I’ve been taking notes on a laptop. I mean, who takes math notes on a computer? It’s okay though, if he doesn’t notice or doesn’t choose to, is fine by me. If it weren’t for my best friend and savior, Celeste, I would have dropped out of this class ages ago. It is only an elective after all and like most of the American population, I don’t appreciate math like teachers do. I'd rather write. Celeste made it bearable though. She always came in with a smile and a weird quirk that I’ve never heard of before. In fact, last week I saw her eating a sweet pepper like an apple. I don’t even mean diced or sliced, I mean, like she held the whole thing in her hand and chomped into it. The best part is when she defends her unnatural habits as something completely ordinary. Hey, maybe it is, but say what you will, I’ve never seen someone carve into microwaved sweet potato in an aluminum foil plate. I love her for it though, besides it’s more fun to be with someone strange than settle into the uneventful construct of everyday living.
Suddenly, I feel a wild series of pokes stabbing my shoulder as I start a new entry. I turn and find Celeste’s finger just rapidly jolting and abruptly stop as I glare at her.
“Can I help you?”
“What are you doing tomorrow night?” Celeste whispers to not distract from our teacher’s croaking in the background.
“Um, I don’t know,” I went back to the computer, “probably homework. Why?”
“So does that mean you don’t have plans?” She bounces up.
“Not that I know of.”
“Good, because guess what Valerie?”
“What?” I replied.
“You do now!” She excitingly shifts her notebook over to me. There’s a mountain with a sun setting behind it, but it kind of looked like Pac-Man eating an earthworm.
“A sunset, wooow,”
“Not just any sunset,” Celeste rebuttals, a dash of sass ringing in her voice, “it’s the Celestial Sunset of the Century,” here we go again. This girl always creates her own natural holidays to try and get me to go out, and I’m not going to lie, she does a pretty good job of making every small thing seem extraordinary.
“It’s a sunset, Celeste.”
“Oh no, no it’s not,” she grabs my computer and starts typing. “See this?” I look at a collage of sunsets with the words: california sunset, in the search bar.
“Ahuh, it’s a sunset,” I slowly pull my computer out of her grasp, “in California.”
“Well duh, Ms. Obvious, but this is going to be the most amazing one of the year because you are going to spend it with me.”
“Why would I look at a beautiful sunset when I can just sit and absorb your radiance, Cel?” I tease.
“Not a lie, but,” she pulls out a map from her backpack, “even I have to admit that this is going to be one to remember.” She opens it up and traces a path. “Here’s the plan, we are going to go on an adventure, hike up this trail, make a left at the fork on the Mount Cresp viewpoint and you’re going to experience the most amazing and early sunset of the year, with yours truly of course.”
“I don’t know,” I started remembering the pile of homework that I left stacked on my desk back home, “there’s a lot I need to get done.”
“Val, I love you, but don’t do this to me. There are twenty-four hours in the day, spend three, not even, spend two with me, and I promise that your homework will be safely waiting for you at home for when you get back. Just don’t have me go on this adventure all by myself,” she started making puppy eyes at me and she knows damn well that I can’t say no to those, but I have to prioritize.
“I don’t think I c-”
“Don’t make me beg Val,” she yells. Time stops and every head in the classroom turns to stare at us. The pierce from our teacher strikes us as we hear his stoic voice travel from the front.
“Is there a problem, Ms. Valdez?”
“Uh, no,” Celeste sighs, “sorry about that Professor,” he turns as if nothing happened and continues to lecture about derivatives or a formula, or something, I don’t even know at this point. “Please Vee?”
I look at my best friend, and I have to admit, it would be a fun thing to do on a Saturday night besides getting distracted by Netflix as I work.
“Fine,” I whisper and Celeste punches my shoulder in triumph, “only because you almost got in trouble just now.”
“Class guilt trip always works,” she winks.
“You evil little-”
“Don’t hate the player, hate the game Val.”
After class we decided to meet at my apartment, where she would pick me up and drive us over to the local county park, which luckily was where the highest point in Orange County, Mount Cresp, was. I walked her to her house while on the way to my car and gave her a hug. We always embraced each other in our farewells because who know’s which goodbye is our last one right? Also we were basically attached at the hip. I don’t know how we only met a year ago because when I’m with her, it’s as if I shared a womb with her.
The rest of the day went by slowly, doing homework, reading textbooks, listening to music, crying over my homework, and then doing some more. I promise that college is the pinnacle of your educational career, at least work-wise. Okay, that was sarcasm, I’m lying. It’s the most time consuming busy work ever, but I’ve heard that it prepares you for a career path, which is where actual learning takes place right? I don’t know, I just have to say things that will keep me going, don’t judge.
Before I knew it, it was two in the afternoon on a Saturday and the honks from Celeste’s car were roaring throughout the street. I sprint out with my backpack full of water bottles and stumble into her car.
“Celeste! You’re going to wake up my neighbors!”
“It’s two in the afternoon, if they’re not awake by now they’re dead,” she honks the horn one more time and steps on the accelerator. The smell of burning rubber strikes my nose as I hold onto the car and I let out a soft scream. Celeste lets out a woohoo and we’re off.
The park was pretty silent for a weekend afternoon. By pretty silent, I mean there was nobody around. Instead of the sound of cars driving by, I could hear the birds sing and the flapping of their wings, followed by the crunching of dirt as we walk up the trail. I love being surrounded by a perfect silence that amplifies every quiet sound. It’s peaceful. Even the sounds of Celeste munching on her third granola bar were satisfying. I see a sign come into sight.
Mount Cresp Viewpoint →
“We are here Val!” She starts sprinting off in the direction of the arrow and I follow her, with an uncontainable smile growing on my face. I check my watch as I ran, four o’clock. Wow, it hasn’t even felt like two hours, but perfect timing. We reach the top of the peak and turn left, just like Celeste explained we would. We sit on a ledge and wait as a breeze brushes our cheeks.
“Way to calculate the time, Cel,” I exhale and look into the horizon to meet a mountain range that looks like it could go on for an eternity.
“I told you,” she proudly sits up straight, “I’m an expert with these things.”
“That you are,” I sit back and snuggle with her because the fall breeze is actually making it feel chilly in Southern California for once. It’s cold, but a perfect refreshment.
The bright orange glimmer started to sink behind the mountains and I took the sight in with awe. It truly was stunning how taking the time to admire even the most simple things emphasized its beauty. The way that the mountains were outlined with a dark yellow glow and how the pink started to swallow the blue sky made me feel lucky. Lucky that I’m here, with my best friend, observing something extravagant. Celeste was right, this was something that should be remembered for centuries. I know I will because I’ve never been in a moment as much as I am now.
I let go of my bag and slowly stand up on the ledge to keep my balance. The sun was the only essence moving as it hid behind the mountain. I yell into the sky with no restraint and hear it echo as I keep going. Celeste gets up and starts to harmonize with me. The sound of our voices traveling throughout the park so that everyone in California could hear us.
You know how people say that they feel infinite? Well, with the final ray of the sun touching my face and the vibrations from my voice, I felt like I was going to live forever. The glow now coming off of our smiles and expanding with the crescendo of our voices. Right here, right now, I feel eternal. I feel invincible.
